In my project to visit more stations of the Stockholm Metro in 2026, I made a detour to visit Kungsträdgården on my latest trip to Stockholm City.
Kungsträdgården is perhaps the most exquisite of them all. To submerge your senses to the art of Kungsträdgården is like entering an ancient temple of a forgotten civilisation. Truly an otherworldly experience.
The station is built under Kungsträdgården which literally means the King's garden. Centuries ago this was where the king grew cabbage for his household.
King Gustav III chose the location for the Royal Theatre there which didn't turn out so well. The king himself was assassinated before the theatre opened and the building later burned down. Present day 'Dramaten' is located further east of the park.
In the 1970s when the underground was to be built, people blocked the construction workers from chopping down the beloved elm trees, eventually leading to plans for the area being redrawn. The entrances to the underground are now placed in both sides of the park. The elms later died from disease and are now replaced with linden trees.
Today the park sports statues of King Charles XII and XIII. King Charles XII died from a gunshot wound after 18 years of war with Denmark, Russia and Sachsen. He points towards arch enemy Russia. King Charles XIII is surrounded by lions and mortars though he neither a warrior nor a promoter of the arts.
So a place with a deep history. Which is reflected in the art that greets you as you decent from the streets above.
